Please join us for a solo exhibit of work from artist, musician, and writer Jeffrey Hakes.

In Undying Love: Illustrations of Faith and Courage from the lives of Christian Martyrs, Hakes invites viewers to meditate upon powerful stories of martyrs from the first century to the present day. These martyrs are from various denominations and cultural backgrounds, but with their lives they sent a single message: there is nothing in this world that is worth giving up their faith in Christ.

This moving collection of paintings will not only prompt viewers to enter into these extraordinary stories of faith, but to examine the way that their own faith is displayed in their everyday lives.

First Friday Receptions:
 — December 6: 5:30 – 9pm
- Our gallery will be closed on Friday, January 3.
 — February 7: 5:30 – 9pm, with an artist talk at 6:30pm.

Open Hours:
- Saturdays, 2 – 4pm
- Our gallery will be closed on the following Saturdays: November 30, December 28, and February 22.

The shutter clicks and the image is frozen, but what about the moments before and after? Where do those moments, lost in time, reside?

I’ve always been interested in how the camera can freeze motion as Muybridge famously did in his photographic studies of the human figure. However, I’m even more fascinated by motion blur as an expression of time. It embodies the constant flux of life and the perpetual state of becoming. Motion in my work is a metaphor for growth, transition and the relentless passage of time.

This work is a celebration of movement, light and form. Using light and time, my aim was to create serene transformative images that speak to the grace of movement, the elegance of the human form, and the transitory nature of life.

Working with a gifted dancer, we created a delightfully unique and otherworldly aesthetic by abstracting and exploring the unique properties of motion. As our work progressed, the dancer often appeared to emerge from the darkness, incarnate, as if borrowed from a dream… never to be seen again.

With special appreciation to Laura Wallner and Jennifer Owen.

Steve Wilson 

November 2024

Artist Bio: 

Steve Wilson has been an arts professional and photographer his entire adult life. His interests include exploring 19th century photographic processes, digital approaches, and astrophotography. His work is found in the Hallmark Photographic Collection at the Nelson/Atkins Museum of Art, the former Polaroid Collection, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and private collections. 

COMMON THREADS

Every day we are immersed in words and images that extol our individuality and uniqueness,

these words and images reflect how distinctive we are 

and how unique our cultures are.

Nevertheless, a paradox lives alongside this individuality and uniqueness. 

A paradox which has become abundantly clear to me over six decades of global wandering,

…we humans all share more commonalities than differences. 

I celebrate our distinctiveness as individuals,

I delight in our unique cultural heritages.

However, 

I revel in the things we share, 

our common threads.

No matter who we are or where we live, 

no matter our age, race, ethnicity or wealth,

or any other characteristic that seems to divide us.

We need to love and be loved. 

We need to smile, laugh and enjoy each other’s company. 

We need to move, dance, touch and even get physical with each other. 

We need to belong, to be part of a family or community. 

We need to express ourselves. 

We need to tell and listen to stories. 

We need time to ourselves to reflect. 

We need to feel a sense of purpose.

In my photography, I work to find those universal things we all seek, feel and do. Whether I’ve captured an ephemeral moment, a gesture or look, a vision of repeating, consoling beauty in our natural or built world, something we glimpse in passing, or a situation we have all encountered at some point in our lives…

we all share these experiences.

Common Threads, those strands we share which bind us and make us part of the greater human tapestry.

One of the underlying premises in assembling the Belger Collection is the importance of collecting multiple works over time by the same artist. Collecting in depth provides a glimpse through the artwork into how the artist approaches life, love, loss, and the other inevitable changes over the course of time. The viewer brings a perspective through unique memories and personal experiences that leave a mark and inform identity.

The artists in Whispers and Screams explore their memories and perceptions of people, places, and moments in time. Some of those memories are loud and jarring while others are more reflective and have softened with the passage of time. There are examples of stereotypes, idealized love, lust, romance, excitement, loss, and regret. There are glimpses into the complexity of communities at all levels, the commonalities and the differences.

The works selected for this exhibition focus on people, histories, and relationships. Human beings are pack animals. People look for their communities and how to understand their place in them. In the course of that exploration, an understanding develops of the past, present, and future.

Artists included in the exhibition: Terry Allen, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Nick Bubash, Clayton Bailey, William Christenberry, Robert Cottingham, John De Andrea, Viola Frey, Michael Hannon, Jasper Johns, Guy Johnson, Kate Kretz, Wes Lyle, Ed Massey, Jack Mendenhall, Jerry Ott, Joey Quiñones, Mel Ramos,Robert Rauschenberg, Don Reitz, Larry Rivers,Alex Siburney, Herb Snitzer, Robert Stackhouse, Renée Stout, Akio Takamori, William T. Wiley, and Winter & Williams.

Every year SAMA and SGAA host their annual conferences in different cities across the United States. The 2024 SAMA conference is in Detroit, MI from September 19 to 22, and the 2024 SGAA conference is in Kansas City, MO from October 2 to 6. These conferences offer themed workshops, lectures, and exhibitions. This year, SAMA and SGAA collaborated in curating their conference exhibitions to create a crossover in methods and materials on view. MAI 2024: Mosaic Arts International and the One Hundred Moments Project represent artists from both SAMA and SGAA, and the two exhibitions will travel from Detroit to Kansas City.

MAI 2024: Mosaic Arts International is comprised of two segments – “Fine Art” and “Site-Specific & Architectural Art.” The exhibition includes work by established and emerging artists and celebrates new perspectives of mosaic and architectural art. Forty-one artists from throughout the United States participated in the exhibition.

The One Hundred Moments Project includes work by seasoned professionals alongside enthusiastic newcomers including mosaic, mixed media, stained glass, and fused glass-making processes, culminating in nearly 100 moments of life rendered by artists from all over the world. One Hundred Moments Project is a non-juried collection of works measuring 6 by 6 inches.

MAI 2024: Mosaic Arts International and One Hundred Moments Project will be on view at the Belger Crane Yard Gallery from October 4, 2024, through Saturday, January 4, 2025.